CNN 2008-02-25

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I'm Asieh Namdar at the CNN.com newsroom in Atlanta. Here is a look at what's happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

Cuban officials have selected Raul Castro to replace his brother Fidel as president. The 81-year-old Fidel Castro who is in poor health is stepping down after nearly half a century in power. Raul Castro has been acting¹ president since 2006.

More deadly clashes in northern Iraq, Turkey's military reports that at least 8 of its soldiers and 33 Kurdish rebels were killed today. The Turkish military began a ground operation against the rebels on Thursday. The PKK rebels have been launching cross-border attacks into Turkey. Iraq's government is calling on Turkey to pull troops out as soon as possible.

There is word of a ceasefire in the African country of Uganda. The government comes to terms with rebels in the latest step to end an insurgency² that has lasted more than 20 years. After this longest conflict involving the Lord's Resistance's Army has killed thousands and displaced more than a million people.

Thousands of Serbs protesting today in a divided city of Mitrovica in northern Kosovo, they are furious over the region's declaration of independence from Serbia. Demonstrators faced off with riot police. They tried to cross the bridge into the ethnic³ Albanian side of the city.

And huge grassfires in west Texas have burned more than 5,000 acres so far. Fire officials say a transformer explosion started one of the larger ones and power lines are to blame for another fire. Dry windy conditions have fanned the flame and at least 3 buildings have been damaged. Western Texas College in Schneider and a nearby nursing home have been evacuated⁴.

And the last-minute preps are in full swing for the 80th Annual Academy Awards. "Atonement", "There Will Be Blood", "No Country For Old Men", "Juno and Michael Clayton" are vying⁵ for Best Picture. And 21-year-old Ellen Page could make history if she wins the Oscar for Best Actress. She will be the youngest person ever to win that award. Page and her film Juno took home some major trophies⁶ on Saturday at the Independent Spirit Awards.

And those are the headlines at this hour. For more on these stories and other news of the day, CNN is your source online, on TV or when you're on the go.